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| The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Send news tips or feedback to bschott@utahpolicy.com, or message us on Twitter. Situational awareness - April 29, 2020Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake CityTICK TOCK62 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)188 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)266 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)271 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:The number of deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus has surpassed the death toll from the Vietnam War. Gov. Gary Herbert says some businesses will be allowed to reopen on Friday. Utahns give the Legislature high job performance ratings.Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown.If you know of friends or colleagues who would benefit from our daily news roundup, please encourage them to sign up for our newsletter.Today At Utah PolicyUtah voters give lawmakers good job performance ratingsBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Most Utahns approve of the job the Utah Legislature did during its 2020 general session, which ended in early March, a recent poll by UtahPolicy.com and KUTV 2News finds.Utah will allow some businesses to reopen on Friday By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced Tuesday that the state would begin lifting coronavirus restrictions and allow some businesses to reopen beginning on Friday.Bernick and Schott on politics podcast - 'Terrible Twitter takes' By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor The June primary election lineups are set, mostly. Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick discuss the top Utah political news headlines.Gov. Herbert announces 'A Mask for Every Utahn" project By News Release Gov. Gary R. Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox announced 'A Mask for Every Utahn,' a public-private partnership to provide a free face mask to Utahns who don't have one. Masks, along with social distancing, will play an important role as more people return to work and everyday activities, and we all work to reactivate the Utah economy.Guest opinion: Pandemic budget losses are painful but offer opportunity By Derek Monson Utah lawmakers just appropriated $4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds, with some strings attached. But they are still likely to have to fill large budget gaps caused by the dramatic economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Rep. Chris Stewart: Are we underestimating the human costs of the lockdown strategy? McAdams calls for accountability as federal COVID-19 business loans go to those in need, and those who aren't Federal court ruling could put GOP gubernatorial candidate Jan Garbett on primary ballot Some Utah businesses closed due to COVID-19 can reopen Friday, Herbert says Utah A.G. halts $21 million Banjo contract as founder's past ties with KKK unveiled Poll: Trump lead over Biden holds steady in UtahSalt Lake Tribune Utah coal mine seeks to expand its operations Utah will begin easing coronavirus restrictions Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert says Salt Lake County looks to ease coronavirus restrictions as cases flatten but don't show 'the decline that we would like' Utah ranks No. 7 for census response - and more reminders are coming by mail Five residents from one Utah retirement community died from coronavirus, director says Republican gubernatorial candidate Jan Garbett gets a second shot at the primary ballot Utah attorney general suspends state contract with Banjo in light of founder's KKK pastOther Weber County's primary season will be light, at least for state and county posts (Standard-Examiner) Summit County health officials confident in lifting stay-at-home order Saturday (Park Record)NATIONAL HEADLINESGrim milestoneThe coronavirus death toll in the U.S. now exceeds the number killed in the Vietnam War. The war lasted nearly 20 years, while it took about three months for the U.S. to hit surpass the number of war dead [The Hill]. The number of deaths in seven states could 9,000 higher than originally reported [New York Times]. Food supply chainPresident Donald Trump ordered meatpacking plants to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic [Axios]. Economic falloutA White House economic advisor is warning unemployment in the U.S. could hit 20 percent by June [CNN]. The first-quarter GDP report is expected to show that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 5 percent or more in the first quarter of 2020 [AP]. America is facing its first economic downturn since 2014 [CNN]. Uber is discussing plans to lay off about 20 percent of its workforce [The Information]. Tripadvisor laid off a quarter of its global workforce and closed a number of offices [Skift]. Ford lost $2 billion during the first quarter and is warning investors their losses will be worse in the current quarter [CNN]. Laying blameThe Trump administration is pressuring intelligence agencies to find out whether China and the World Health Organization initially hid what they knew about the coronavirus pandemic [NBC News]. Small business loansThe Treasury Department says they will perform a full audit on any company that took out loans above $2 million from a small business loan program to make sure their claims of economic distress were valid [CNBC]. The Trump administration says they will recoup hundreds of millions of dollars from big companies that received loans intended for small businesses [New York Times]. TestingPresident Trump claims that the U.S. will begin testing 5 million people daily, but the top administration official overseeing testing says that's impossible [Time]. Coronavirus latestDr. Anthony Fauci is warning the U.S. could be in for a "bad fall and a bad winter" if it's unprepared for a second wave of coronavirus [CNN]. The virus is likely to keep schools closed for months [New York Times]. 2020Hillary Clinton endorsed Joe Biden on Tuesday [Politico]. Rep. Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party in 2019, launched an exploratory committee to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket [Politico]. BUSINESS HEADLINESRegents approve SLCC plan to lease Meadowbrook campus for development (Deseret News) Instacart hired 300,000 last month - and wants to hire 250,000 more (Deseret News) Utah could reopen restaurants, other businesses late next week, Herbert says (Deseret News) About 80 industry representatives are crafting proposals for how Summit County businesses can reopen amid the pandemic (Park Record) 'Why would we not do this?' - Restaurants push the state to allow curbside alcohol sales during pandemic (Salt Lake Tribune)Policy NewsCurtis, bipartisan House members introduce bill to bolster internet freedom globallyRepresentative John Curtis (R-UT), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, joined released the following statement after introducing the bipartisan Open Technology Fund Authorization Act: Stewart urges adoption of national suicide hotline in next COVID-19 relief package Congressman Chris Stewart (UT-02) joined a bipartisan, bicameral push in Congress with 22 U.S. Senators and 17 U.S. Representatives to include H.R. 4194, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, in the next COVID-19 relief package.Sens. Lee, Klobuchar call on law enforcement to investigate meat supply chain U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, and Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, wrote a letter to the Justice Department, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), calling on the agencies to identify problems and implement appropriate solutions to help ensure that our country's food markets work for consumers, as well as our farmers, ranchers, and packers. More National HeadlinesPolitico Effectively Retracts Entire Trump China Article (Federalist) Captain Obvious: Washington Post Admits Biden 'Yet to Be Asked' About Tara Reade (NewsBusters) Carrie Severino on Joe Biden accuser: Dems have a 'sudden onset' of respect for due process (FOX News) How Long Will The Media Bury The Biden Assault Story? (Issues & Insights) The CNN, Larry King Live Story On Tara Reade Takes Another Strange Turn (Hot Air) The Case for Suing the Chinese Communist Party (Epoch Times) Now 'The Bulwark' Crew Tries to Use Vietnam to Dunk on Trump, It Doesn't End Well (RedState) Hillary Clinton On Coronavirus Crisis: 'Would Be A Terrible Crisis To Waste' (Daily Wire) Green brownshirts strike at Michael Moore (Powerline) AG Barr Directs DOJ To Go After States, Localities Violating Civil Liberties Over Coronavirus (Daily Wire) This Is What California Is Doing to the Little Guy During This Pandemic (PJ Media) US to recognise annexation of occupied West Bank, Jordan Valley (Al Jazeera)ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1862 - New Orleans falls to Union forces during the Civil War. 1967 - After refusing induction into the U.S. Army, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title. 1974 - President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the Watergate scandal.. 1975 - The U.S. begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind in response to advancing North Vietnamese forces, bringing an end to American involvement in the war. 1990 - Cranes begin tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. 1992 - Riots break out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Wise WordsNature"When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it."Ralph Waldo Emerson Lighter SidePlaying Dumb"These poor doctors working for Trump. If they don't give us the truth, they're not doing their jobs, but if they do tell the truth, there's a good chance he'll fire them, so their only option is to play dumb and hope Trump gets distracted by a Filet-O-Fish or something."- JIMMY KIMMEL Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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